Change over Time
by me you and kaoru
Summary: Chapter 2, starting off with a little suprise...Well click already! Please R/R!
1. The Party

Change over Time  
By Yukira  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, well, well. My fifth DW fanfic. And It's about Sun Ruan Er and Zilong again! Oh boy...And two of you already have an idea of what it's about. Lucky you. And for the person that inspired this fic, if you happen to read it, you will recognize at least some of it...I hope. Good luck to you.  
  
*~~~~*~~~~*  
  
Sun Ruan Er, clad in a green qipao, sat in a seat quietly. It was noisy around her. Various soldiers and women were dancing and the Shu generals were drinking wine. It was a usual party to celebrate another victory, taking place at an inn.  
  
The double doors opened. Feminine cries of joy were heard. Sun Ruan turned around, slightly annoyed, to see what caused the commotion.  
  
And then she saw him. He was about eight chi tall, had long black hair below shoulder length, and he was definitely very handsome. Sun thought he was a bit too flamboyant looking, but she found herself smiling at him. And then he smiled back.  
  
The man was clad in white armor and battle apparel, golden dragons adorned on his chest plate. A green headband kept his bangs from covering his face.  
  
"Hey Zilong!" called a Shu general from the bar, dressed in golden armor, "Just in time!"  
  
Sun watched the man sit down next to some soldiers and officers. A group of girls crowded around him, but he ignored them.  
  
Sun continued to sip tea until a double halberd fell from its display case from the third story. It seemed as if it was about to fall on the man and kill him. Sun Ruan shouted "Watch out!".  
  
The man jumped out of the way. Everyone stood, dazed.  
  
Sun immediately recognized the weapon. "A Shang Chi, forged out of steel."  
  
The man looked at her and smiled. "You have an interest in weapons?"  
  
Sun nodded, apparently entranced by his warm sparkling eyes.  
  
The man took a seat at her table and clasped his hands together. "My name is Zhao Yun, style name Zilong, from Changshan. Who might you be?"  
  
"Sun Ruan Er, from the music institute. I'm a songstress in training."  
  
"How would a girl like you know so much about weapons?"  
  
Zhao Yun smiled at Sun again and she blushed. "I don't really know much, just about the weapon descriptions and how they are made..."  
  
"But that is enough to know, don't you think?"  
  
"Well, I suppose..."  
  
"Then let's carry on an intellectual discussion, shall we?"  
  
A waitress carried over two glasses of wine to their table. Zhao Yun held up one and offered it to Sun Ruan.  
  
"Wine? I..." began Sun but Zhao Yun set it in front of her anyways.  
  
"One won't hurt, will it?"  
  
Sun sighed silently. "I guess it won't."  
  
Sun and Zhao began to converse about different weapons, Zhao eventually showing off his. (AN: No, not that kind if you're thinking dirty!)  
  
Meanwhile, the group of other girls were desperately trying to catch Zhao Yun's attention.  
  
Sun Ruan took a tiny sip of the wine and wrinkled her face. Zhao Yun laughed.  
  
"Is this your first taste of wine?"  
  
"No, I've had a small portion before..."  
  
Eventually, they started chatting about chakrams (aka moon knives), metal edged fans, and hookswords.  
  
And then another Shu officer walked over and tapped Zilong on the shoulder.  
  
Zhao Yun looked over, annoyed that his conversation was interrupted. "Yes?"  
  
"How long do you plan on staying at the party?" inquired the officer.  
  
"As long as I want, Jiang. After all, the night is young."  
  
The officer turned around and headed towards the exit. "Alright, you can stay. I'm turning in."  
  
A few minutes later, the officer clad in gold armor got up towards the exit. "Me too. Good night Zilong."  
  
"Fruitcakes..." muttered Zhao Yun.  
  
The double doors opened again, but it wasn't the previous Shu officer. It was a large, burly looking man that seemed to be an alcoholic...  
  
The large ugly man glared at Zhao Yun and Sun Ruan. "That's my spot."  
  
Zhao Yun ignored him and continued to speak to Sun.  
  
The man stomped over and slammed the table, causing Sun's glass of half empty wine to fall on the floor. The glass broke into many pieces. "Get out you morons."  
  
Zhao Yun sighed, irritated. "I'm sure you weren't talking about me and Sun."  
  
"I was."  
  
SMASH!!  
  
Zhao Yun had broken several wine bottles on the man's head, causing him to fall to the ground.  
  
"Let's go." Zhao Yun and Sun Ruan left the inn.  
  
Zhao Yun walked Sun to her room at the music institute. The institute building had pink colored walls with decorative fans on display. There were many rooms that belonged to some of Zilong's 'followers'.  
  
Sun Ruan's room was the one on the second floor at the end of the hall. Zilong followed her inside.  
  
"So you play the flute?"  
  
Sun nodded. She picked up the flute from her bed and began playing, but Zhao Yun didn't seem too interested.  
  
Zhao Yun then brought up another topic. "So how long have you been here?"  
  
Sun set her flute down. "Ever since I was six."  
  
Zhao looked out of the window and looked shocked. "I have to go...now!"  
  
Sun Ruan stood up and let Zhao Yun out of the room. But before she closed the door, he leaned over and kissed her. "Good night."  
  
*~~~~*~~~~*  
  
Yup, short chapter. Can I at least get some reviews? Hmm?  
  
Oyasumi! 


	2. Skirmish

Change over Time  
By Yukira Tsurama  
Chapter 2  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.  
  
Author's Notes: The following is another 'rant' from me, but a very interesting one at that: It seems I don't get as many reviews for the Zhao Yun/Sun Ruan Er fics because they aren't ALL ABOUT THE QIAOS!!! This is true, no? The Qiaos rack popularity and that's the only reason "A Little Night Ride" gets more reviews. I won't succumb to this little rule here. Only one of my fanfics will be about the Qiaos in its entirety. And most writers/readers here are anti-Wei because Zhen Ji SEEMS arrogant, but she's not, Xiahou Dun ate his own eye (the guy had guts!), Zhang He seems gay (but he's not, either), and Sima Yi...is paired with Zhang He. I don't mind yaoi, but it seems to anger the muses, if you know what I mean. And because of this, will I make a fic about Wei being the protagonists because of the opinions of some/most (I have no idea how many)? Hell yeah! Ugh...I go back and read this...Gomen Nasai, but it's the truth! I admit, I'm a Shu-ist! I don't care for Wu...and I think Wei can kick Wu's asses any day...then Shu can kick both of theirs.  
  
*~~~~*~~~~*  
  
Sun Ruan was lying on her bed, lights on, still excited from Zhao Yun's kiss. Suddenly, the door opened...and Jun Li stood there.  
  
Jun Li had been Sun Ruan's closest friends at the institute. Although Jun couldn't sing, dance, or play the flute as well as Sun, she had good judgment and guided Sun Ruan through tough times.  
  
"General Zhao Zilong, hmm?"  
  
Sun sat up on her bed and nodded.  
  
Jun Li looked as if she were conceived of mixed emotions. The first one was confusion, second anger, third...pity?  
  
"I really don't know how to tell you this..." began Jun, sitting next to Sun Ruan.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's about...Zhao Yun."  
  
Sun began to get a little frustrated and it was evident. "What about him?"  
  
Jun Li was biting one of her nails again, a sign that she was heavy hearted. "Well...he visits other girls..."  
  
Sun Ruan was emotionless and began to speak in a monotone voice. "That's okay! It's perfectly fine, we are just friends, he has a right to survey girls and-"  
  
"But he kissed you, didn't he?"  
  
Now, Sun was blushing and even more confused. "How...did you know?"  
  
Jun shook her head shamefully. "He does that to everyone, he even tried it on me...once."  
  
"And what did you do?"  
  
Jun sighed. She knew telling her friend about this wouldn't be easy... "I kicked him out of my room."  
  
Sun Ruan, somewhat irritated, spoke. "I'll keep that in mind. Go get some sleep."  
  
"Okay. Good night." Jun left the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
*~~~~*~~~~*  
  
Sun Ruan opened her eyes and blinked. Daylight. She had slept in, again, for the 3rd time this week.  
  
So far, Jun Li had tried to awaken her at the right time, but to no avail.  
  
Sun brushed her hair and changed into a metallic silver and white colored cheongsam. Her head hurt slightly, probably because of her sleeping habits.  
  
She began to stroll down the stairs but tripped on the last one. Muttering to herself, she proceeded to the large dining room, where chefs cooked 24/7.  
  
Jun Li and a few other girls were eating duck congee in bowls and Sun helped herself to some while sitting next to Jun.  
  
"Well, you didn't sleep in too much today." Whispered Jun Li, nudging Sun.  
  
One of the other songstresses in training squealed, "Guess what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"There is going to be another party at the tavern and we are invited to perform!"  
  
"Aack, another party." Complained Sun.  
  
"What, you don't like parties?"  
  
"I don't feel like performing today, my voice is sure to crack in front of people."  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
For a while, the young girls were quiet, just sipping their congee contentedly, but then Sun Ruan spoke.  
  
"Who will be at the party?"  
  
One of the other girls thought to herself, then answered. "Probably the whole army."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
The conversation at the dining table continued like this, with its ups and downs, then, after a while, it concluded when Sun Ruan left the table and headed off to the main hall.  
  
A few moments later, Jun Li caught up with her. "So are you going to the party or not?"  
  
"I...think so. But I need to prepare a little more."  
  
"Yay!"  
  
*~~~~*~~~~*  
  
After several hours of preparation, the young songstresses were clad in their silk cheongsams, it would have been nearly impossible to distinguish Sun Ruan from the crowd, so she wore several flowers in her hair.  
  
It was probably a few hours after noon. The young girls headed off for the tavern with their lutes, mandolins, and flutes.  
  
Sun Ruan was feeling somewhat giddy, the decorations outside of the tavern were very bright and colorful and paper lanterns adorned the patio.  
  
Finally, the group of 8 girls went inside and Sun saw something that she didn't want to see...  
  
Zhao Yun was at the bar chatting vivaciously with another girl. When he turned around and saw Sun Ruan, she waved and he panicked.  
  
"Ah, no! She's entered..."  
  
"Zilong, what is it?" asked the girl.  
  
"No, no, it's nothing..."  
  
Sun Ruan waved to him again. Zilong pretended to look as if he didn't know her.  
  
"Hmm, he's acting strangely." Whispered Jun.  
  
"Ah, nevermind. Let's start performing."  
  
Although all of the young songtresses could play the flute, mandolin, and lute, only a few sang well.  
  
The group took their positions. For the first half, Sun Ruan would play the flute, Jun Li would play the jing hu, a different girl played the yue qin, and two sang. The other three danced.  
  
Sun Ruan played her flute angrily, eventually getting louder than the two singers. One of the singers stopped and glared at her but Sun just stuck her tongue out.  
  
When the singers were done, they exchanged roles. This time, Sun would be singing on her own, Jun Li would dance, others just doing what they wanted...  
  
So Ruan proceeded to sing, her voice fueled by her emotions.  
  
"Hua li wei lai, shi ji xiang pi lao, zhuang zuo, wu suo wei."  
  
Zhao Yun looked up from his seat and stared.  
  
"Luo qing si hai, gu li de rong mao, xiang qiou, ming yun an wei."  
  
Sun only stared back.  
  
"Pai huei, ren jian zi suo wei, wei lai, suo lan guang huei."  
  
Zhao Yun winked.  
  
"Zhu fu ni, qing quan li, wei re de mai buo hai peng pai de ben pao."  
  
Sun Ruan continued to stare.  
  
"Kan guo qu, shen lu yuo long, wu wei."  
  
Zhao Yun tried to look innocent.  
  
"Ji muo shi fen, ru meng de cong qian,"  
  
Sun put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Que ren, zi wuo shi xian."  
  
Zhao Yun waved, trying to distract her.  
  
"Wu long chiong, miao huei de jing xiang, reng huei, fu xian yian qian."  
  
Sun Ruan closed her eyes.  
  
"Wang shi, jie ro ping ju, xiang xing, wei lai wu xian. Zhu fu ni,-- "  
  
She was rudely interrupted when a group of drunk Wu soldiers appeared out of nowhere and began flinging cups and teapots everywhere, spilling hot tea on the guests. A teapot flew past her and hit Zilong on the head, knocking him out. The girl next to him screamed and ran out of the tavern, but more drunk soldiers blocked all entrances and exits.  
  
Her fellow songtresses hid behind tables and chairs, as people ran under tables and panicked.  
  
A few of the Shu soldiers, though unequipped, tried fighting back by throwing nearby objects. Sun decided to imitate.  
  
There was a stack of plates on the table beside her. Sun tried to hurl these at the offenders but she missed several times.  
  
A soldier flung a large piece at Sun. It slid by and cut her neck.  
  
Sun Ruan proceeded to hide as well. Her cheongsam prevented her from running or kicking.  
  
And then the entrance burst open, knocking the Wu soldiers to the ground. It was the two Shu officers that she had seen the other day at the party.  
  
Both of them were able to send the Wu soldiers running off. When the commotion was over, the people got out of their hiding places. Zhao Yun was slumped to the floor.  
  
Blood flowed from Sun's neck, and no one had noticed it yet. Life was draining away slowly, drop by drop.  
  
Sun went unconscious because of blood loss. In an hour, she would die.  
  
*~~~~*~~~~*  
  
How was *yawn* the chapter? Do the Qiao/Wu fans disagree with my rant above, mm?  
  
Let's hear it in your reviews! BTW: Review!  
  
Rei, Ichi, Ni, San, Yon, Go, Shichi, Roku, Hachi, Kyu, Ju! Yata! I can count from 0 to 10 in Nihongo without looking at the book! Yata! 


End file.
